Cariad Lloyd

Cariad Lloyd is a comedy writer and performer, a part of comedy sketch group Austentatious and also creator of the GriefCast podcast. GriefCast has been running since 2016, with each episode featuring a different comic who, like Cariad, has lost someone close to them, whether that be recently or a long time ago. But you don’t have to be grieving to appreciate these heartfelt chats and the goodwill behind them. GriefCast gives a fascinating insight as well as perhaps a bit of comfort for those going through similar situations.

1) Why is GriefCast an important project for you?

My Dad died when I was 15 and I found it very isolating. I felt like no one understood what I was going through. It’s so important to me to make something which allows grievers to not feel alone. To connect with each other and to realise we are all different and united in our grief. I wish I had something like this when I first went through it.

2) Did you have any reservations before starting the GriefCast podcast?

Yes! I didn’t think anyone would want to listen. Death, grief… these are topics people normally want to avoid. But I wanted to prove that it could be interesting, funny and still remain sensitive to the topic.

3) How, in general, do you think grieving differs in comedians/performers?

I don’t think it does really. I just think comedians know how to use humour to deal with pain, so they might make jokes slightly quicker than a non-comedian in a painful situation. But I think we all do that but perhaps non-comedians might feel more guilty about it, where as a comedian knows it will be a way of coping with the situation – to laugh at it. That’s what we’ve done all our lives.

4) Do you benefit from the podcast as much as you feel your guests do (if you think they do!)?

Yes, it’s helped me so much to talk about it. I didn’t for 18 years and I think now I almost can’t stop. I think we both benefit from an honest chat about what grief can do to you. It feels less isolating to remember we all go through it in one way or another.

5) What has been the most surprising thing that you have learned through talking to these people who have lost loved ones?

I don’t know about surprising but it’s certainly comforting to share so many experiences. Every story is so different but so many times I find myself saying, yes me too! And that’s not what I expected would happen.

6) Why should people listen to GriefCast?

If you’ve ever experienced Grief, if you’re ‘in the club’ as we say, it will make you laugh, cry and feel less alone. If you’re not and your life is blissfully death-free, it will make you laugh, cry and understand why sometimes your loved ones feel alone even though they’re not.

7) What’s next for you?

More GriefCasts and more Austentatious and eventually some sleep please.

Each Comedian of the Month on MoodyComedy is a comic who has never previously featured on the website. Reasons for selection can include various current projects the comedian is involved with, or perhaps recent appearances on television programmes or podcasts. There is no strict criteria however, as Comedian of the Month simply stands as a collection of recommendations, highlighting interesting and original aspects of certain comedians and their work.

Cariad Lloyd is a regular face on television these days. She has become a frequent guest on QI during the past few years as well as starring in the likes of Peep Show, Murder in Successville, Crackanory and Crims.

But this comic and writer has many strings to her bow. With an aptitude for improvisation, Cariad is animated and engaging, able to endear herself to audiences with ease. She is a member of the highly acclaimed Jane Austen-inspired improvised sketch group Austentatious: The Improvised Novel (fellow cast member Jospeh Morpurgo has been MoodyComedy’s Comedian of the Month in the past).

The area of Cariad’s work that I have most recently enjoyed, however, is her relatively new podcast: The GriefCast. As you might guess from the title, it is a series about dealing with losing a loved one. Cariad, who has personally suffered from such a loss, invites comedians and writers to talk within a lighthearted yet honest and sometimes quite frank discussion about their experiences.

Lloyd is empathetic and clearly very emotionally mature, and she supports her fellow comics as they share stories from the most painful parts of their lives. Though, at the same time, The Grief Cast is factual and both interviewer and interviewees don’t muck around when it comes to being blunt yet fair regarding the realities of death and grief. Cariad as a story elicitor is honest but never judgemental. This podcast is quite honestly a pleasure to listen to. You can listen to it here.

For more information, follow Cariad Lloyd on Twitter or visit her website.

Book tickets for Austentatious: The Improvised Novel’s nationwide tour here.

Crims is a sitcom about Welsh nice guy Luke, played by stand up Elis James, who is unfairly sentenced to two years in a young offenders institution as a result of his moronic friend (the brother of Luke’s girlfriend), Jason (Kadiff Kirwan) getting him involved in a failed bank robbery. These two unlikely friends are now forced to spend all of their time together, as a result of sharing a cell, and simultaneously try to keep their heads down as well as ending up on the frontline of all manners of trouble.

Luke, or “Lulu”, as Jason calls him, is your typical antihero. He is meek and frustratingly stubborn, but an increasingly likeable character nonetheless. Jason, on the other hand, is an endearing idiot, who we can forgive for all his wrongs because he is oblivious, and very funny as a result. It’s fair to say that Luke and Jason are unlikely protagonists, their personalities are polar opposites and they bicker like an old married couple.

A hilarious backstory between prison officers Dawn (Cariad Lloyd) and Creg (Ricky Champ) provides a refreshing side-narrative that develops with each episode. Creg’s incessant stalking of Dawn also adds a sinister element to Crims, and, mark my love of shows like The Mighty Boosh, Snuff Box and The League of Gentlemen, you can see why I’m a fan.

The writing from Adam Kay and Dan Swimer is excellent; the characters come together effortlessly and there is no room for boredom in a jam-packed 30 minute episode. Crims has a brilliant cast, including Theo Barklem-Biggs as Twilight-obsessed thug, Marcel, Ed Kear as ‘Black Elton John’, Selom Awadzi as Daz, and Jamal Hadjkura as the prison-snitch, Isaac. And appearances from the likes of the fantastic Tracy Ann-Oberman and Sylvester Mccoy make a great addition to the cast too.

This brand new sitcom has proven itself to be highly original, witty and accessible, and I hope there are more series to come.